Hydrangea Grandiflora

Flowers in a person's life take a huge place, summer residents try to plant something special on their site every new season. Hydrangea is appreciated for its beautiful appearance and unpretentious culture. This culture has been cultivated since the 19th century, in natural conditions it is common in Asian countries. Hydrangea Grandiflora is considered the most famous variety of this crop, therefore it is very popular in the world. Today we will talk about this amazing ornamental shrub, share with you the rules of planting and care, as well as ways of propagating hydrangeas. If you have not yet planted this amazingly beautiful plant in your area, then it is definitely worth a try.

Hydrangea Grandiflora variety description

Grandiflora looks like a shrub, hydrangea grows up to 2 m in height. And the decorative properties of the culture are simply magnificent. The root system spreads over the upper layers of the soil, the crown of the hydrangea is spherical, in girth it can grow up to 3 m.The leaves are quite elongated, up to 10 cm long.The inflorescences of hydrangea are flat white flowers, each 3 cm in diameter. peculiar panicles, which also have a beautiful appearance. The bush does not produce fruits. Hydrangeas bloom for a long time, the flowers have a beautiful cream color, at the end of flowering the inflorescences become greenish burgundy. A distinctive feature of this culture is that the shrub blooms all summer, so summer residents appreciate these plants very much. In addition, the plant is perennial, so hydrangea can grow in the same place for decades. The shrubs grow very quickly, each year the length of the shoots increases by more than 20 cm.

Hydrangea usually begins to bloom at the age of 4. However, small panicles begin to appear after planting. In addition, this variety is very resistant to many diseases and pests; the hydrangea also tolerates frost well. This shrub is often used to decorate personal plots, recreation areas, planted on lawns, next to administrative buildings. Sometimes amazing flower arrangements are made from hydrangeas.

Hydrangea Grandiflora planting

In order for the hydrangea to bloom more than abundantly, you need to choose the right place. It is recommended to plant this culture in a well-lit place. It is best to plant plants on fertile soil, this culture prefers acidic soils. In order for the hydrangea to bloom well, you need to provide minimum care conditions. This shrub grows best in areas with diffused light. If you plant a hydrangea on the south side, then the decorative properties will be lost, since the bright sun negatively affects the development of the shrub.

If we talk about the type of soil, then hydrangea grows well on neutral and acidic soils. However, the soil must be well moistened and fertile. It is better not to plant a shrub next to fruit trees, since usually in such places the culture lacks either moisture or nutrients and microelements. Sometimes the shrub is planted on sandy soil, but it usually develops slowly there. Before planting a plant in the ground, it is best to add peat, sawdust or fertile soil there. But wood ash, lime or chalk cannot be introduced into the soil, since these elements are considered good deoxidizers. Shrubs should be planted in areas well protected from the wind. Therefore, many gardeners plant hydrangeas near the walls of buildings or some kind of fences.There, in extreme heat, a shadow is created, which also has a beneficial effect on the development of the shrub.

You can buy a seedling at a garden center or an agricultural store. It is best to buy plants with a closed root system in a container. Planting this culture is recommended in the spring, sometimes you can do it in October. Before planting a shrub, you need to prepare a planting hole. Grandiflora has a branched root system, so the pit should be half a meter deep, and up to 50 cm in diameter.If you plant several bushes, then do not forget about the distance, the distance between the plants should be at least 2 m. a prepared mixture of peat, compost, sand and turf. Sometimes it is also recommended to add coniferous soil there in order to increase the acidity of the soil.

The pit should be prepared about two weeks before the planned planting date. During this time, the soil will settle, which means that the hydrangea can be planted. Before planting, the container with shrubs will need to be watered intensively in order for the earthen lump to better move away from the walls of the box. The root collar of the hydrangea is not covered with earth. After planting, the soil will need to be compacted, and the shrub will need to be watered intensively. After you plant a seedling, do not forget to water the plants in a timely manner, this is necessary so that the shrub adapts well in a new place. At first, it is also recommended to cover the plantings so that the scorching sun does not burn the delicate bark of the plant.

Hydrangea Grandiflora care

Caring for a hydrangea is easy and simple. It develops well in favorable climatic conditions. The crop will need to be watered often, fed with mineral and organic fertilizers, and also treated against diseases and pests. Plants are often sprayed with insecticides. In order for the shoots to form correctly, the hydrangea must be cut off. This shrub is considered moisture-loving, because the root system lies very close to the surface of the earth, so moisture comes to it only through watering and precipitation. Groundwater usually does not reach the roots.

You will need to water the hydrangea once a week. It is best with warm water, this should be done either early in the morning or late in the evening so that an earthen crust does not form on the surface of the earth. Up to 20 liters of water is usually added under one bush. However, you will need to ensure that the root system of the shrub is not exposed, if necessary, the plant should be spud. When the hydrangea blooms, they begin to water it more intensively, since at this time the shrub needs a lot of moisture, otherwise the inflorescences will lose their decorative properties. If your area has hot and dry summers, you will need to water more often, about 2-3 times a week. Hydrangea is also often fed. For this, both mineral fertilizers and natural organic matter are used. For the first time, you will need to feed the hydrangea while the buds swell. The second time, fertilizer is applied during the formation of buds, the third time the crop is fed in July, and the last one - in the fall, after the shrub has faded.

It is believed that for the first time the plant should be fed with organic matter. For this, bird droppings, mullein, are often used, which are diluted with water and insisted. The resulting mixture of plants is watered at the root. It is recommended to soak organic matter from a ratio of 1 to 15. Two buckets of top dressing are added under each bush. When the first buds appear on the hydrangea, it is best to apply complex fertilizer to the soil. For this, 20-30 g of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt are diluted in 10 liters of water. For some time, top dressing is insisted, and then the culture is watered with a solution at the root. This stimulates the intense flowering of the shrub. By mid-summer, the plant should also be fed with complex mixtures.For this, ready-made purchased fertilizers are often chosen. Sometimes shrubs are watered with liquid concentrates, and granular fertilizers are also embedded in the soil. In the fall, it is recommended to add potassium salt and superphosphate to the soil, this top dressing increases the immunity of the shrub, helps the plant to overwinter. But nitrogen-containing fertilizers are not recommended to be applied to the soil in the fall.

Don't forget about proper pruning. The thickening of the bush leads to the loss of the decorative properties of the plant. In such conditions, the hydrangea will not bloom so abundantly. It is best to prune the shrub before sap begins to flow. On each plant, no more than 10 powerful shoots should be left, everything else should be removed by cutting off the branches from the root. However, these 10 shoots will need to be shortened, each should have no more than 5 active points. In order to rejuvenate the bush, you will need in the fall, after the plant has faded and the leaf has fallen off, cut off all the shoots, leaving 8 cm on each. It is believed that in the next season the hydrangea will release new young shoots, but the shrub should not be cut too intensively, the culture may even die. Do not forget about sanitary pruning, all diseased and deformed branches must be removed, this stimulates the formation of new shoots, inflorescences. Dry panicles should also be trimmed. If we talk about resistance to diseases and pests, then the hydrangea of ​​this variety has an average. Sometimes the shrub is sick with fungal diseases, for example, powdery mildew. If you notice a whitish bloom on the leaves, then you should spray the shrub with Bordeaux liquid. Sometimes for the same purposes, foundationol is used, which is dissolved in water and the bush is also sprayed with the resulting solution.

Sometimes aphids settle on hydrangeas. In order for these pests not to interfere with the development and growth of the shrub, it is recommended to treat the hydrangea with insecticides. These preparations are sprayed on the leaves and stems of the shrub. In order for the pests not to disturb the hydrangea, sometimes gardeners spray the bushes with a tincture of garlic. The pungent smell repels many insects. In order for the preparations to stick better to the leaves, soap is added to the mixture. Garlic tincture is also used for preventive treatments. Hydrangea Grandiflora is considered to be quite frost-resistant. It can even withstand -30. However, the snow cover over the bush in winter should be good, only in this way the hydrangea can calmly overwinter. Usually, in the middle zone of our country and, of course, in the south, the bush is not sheltered for the winter, but in the northern regions, shelter is still required. In order to prevent the root system from freezing out, gardeners recommend mulching the top layer of the earth, as well as pouring humus under the bush. And young plants are recommended to be wrapped in burlap before wintering, so that the hydrangea overwinters better. Good snow cover is considered additional protection for Grandiflora.

About the reproduction of hydrangea

If you already have one hydrangea bush growing on your site, then you can get seedlings on your own. Usually this shrub is propagated by cuttings or layering. If you transplant the plant, then you can divide the mother bush. In order to get cuttings, in early spring we will need to select one good branch. It should be cleaned of leaves and bark. Then this shoot is nailed to the soil, fixed on its surface with staples, sprinkled with loose earth. Usually, the shoot takes root in 1 season. However, do not forget to water the shoot with warm water, in the fall it can be separated from the bush and transplanted to a new place. If you want to propagate the shrub by cuttings, then you will need to prepare the material in July. Usually, the upper parts of the shoots are cut off, while each cuttings should have 5 leaves. The shoots are rooted in loose and fertile soil.From above, it is advisable to cover the cutting with a jar in order to create favorable climatic conditions. After the hydrangea takes root, it is planted. If you transplant a bush, then it can be propagated. Usually, the rhizome is dug out carefully and divided into two or more parts. It is advisable to treat all places of cuts with crushed charcoal or garden pitch. New plants are planted in pre-prepared holes.

Conclusion

Hydrangea Grandiflora is a wonderful variety of hydrangeas that gardeners consider to be a real decoration of the garden. Plants take root easily, seedlings can be bought even over the Internet. Experienced gardeners recommend soaking the shoots before planting in a growth promoter. This culture is very winter-hardy, in a couple of years the bush grows up to 2 meters high. Hydrangea begins to bloom from the second year. In the spring, do not forget to prune the top in order for the plant to develop more intensively. Hydrangea has excellent decorative properties. The shrub is unpretentious, it will not need to be watered and fed very often. But do not forget about humus, it is he who provides the abundant flowering of the bush. You can even create a hedge out of hydrangea, this variety looks great in summer cottages, in various flower arrangements. Its abundant flowering really pleases, but do not forget about care, feed and water the plant, treat it against pests and diseases. And then this beautiful shrub will certainly delight you with beautiful inflorescences, moreover, throughout the season, from June to September inclusive.